Custom Magnet and Magnetic Assembly Design and Engineering

When you combine Dura Magnetics’ accumulated knowledge and experience combined with new innovations and technology you get the best magnet and magnetic assembly design and engineering assistance in the marketplace.  Dura utilizes 2D and 3D magnetic simulation packages to design engineered-to-order magnetic assemblies and magnet solutions for a wide range of applications, including:

• Medical Devices and Equipment
• Aerospace and Defense Programs
• Sensor triggering
• Thin Film Deposition and Magnetic Annealing
• Metal working
• Fixturing and Work-holding
• Electro Mechanical Devices
• Various Holding applications
• Various Material Handling Devices
• Toque and Linear Couplers

Commitment to Technology and Design for Manufacturability

The professionals at Dura understand that our customers are not always certain about the existence or feasibility of a magnetic solution. To that end, Dura leverages its technical assets, including computer simulations with 2D and 3D FEA and Boundary analysis software to validate design concepts, thereby reducing product development time and expense, and ensuring manufacturability of the finished product.  By utilizing simulation software, a tentative solution can be generated, forwarded, and discussed with your design team. After preliminary models are reviewed, an informed decision can then be made on how or whether to proceed.

Reverse Engineering

Dura’s industry expertise and in-house capabilities allows us to reverse engineer an existing magnet or magnetic assembly to improve performance, enhance service life, quantify and qualify older designs, and reduce costs.   These capabilities include:

• Vast accumulated knowledge base
• Hysteresisgraph used to quantify the magnetic characteristics of the magnet
• Simulation Software
• Performance benchmarking of the application
• Chemical analyses

Design Pitfalls

During the design phase of your project, it is important to consider the complexities associated with designing with magnetic materials.  Not only is the magnetic performance of the magnet important, but also how the magnet will be integrated into the final solution.
Magnetic materials, unlike common commercial materials that have ASTM classifications, are difficult to manufacture and to fabricate and present a special set of challenges.  Therefore, it becomes incumbent upon the design team to take special care when creating a custom solution for your application.  Common design challenges with Magnetic Materials:

• Are typically environmentally unstable (Highly reactive and prone to oxidation).  Common coating and plating solutions usually do not translate to magnetic alloy.
• Will gain or lose magnetic field relative to the operational temperature fluctuations necessitating the need to design for magnetic performance through a temperature spectrum.
• Can experience irreparable harm at extreme temperature exposures.  This harm is irrecoverable and represents an effective partial or total demagnetization of the magnet.
• Challenging to fabricate because conventional machine tools and machining methods are not feasible.
• Challenging to design because the magnetic field density and resulting force are not linear relative to distance.
• Magnetic fields can create hazards for personal and some electronic equipment.
• Common methods of component integration and retention such as; tapped holes, shoulders, through holes, staking, and tapers are expensive to employ.  The integration of a magnet into a sub-assembly requires a functional knowledge base when designing an integration scheme.
• Are MAGNETIZED.  This seems obvious, but magnetized magnets and sub-assemblies present a unique set handling and integration problems.  The issue can range from protecting the operators to demagnetizing of the magnet itself.  This aspect must be accounted for early in the design phase.

Commonly requested specifications attributed to conventional materials, such as aluminum, steel alloys, plastic, etc., are usually challenging to implement with magnets and magnetic materials.  These specifications, usually indicated on a drawing by default, may add cost and complexity when manufacturing a magnet or magnetic assembly.  It is important to review the relevance of these industry standard features and specifications when designing and specifying a magnet or magnetic assembly.
Click to view a list of common, mistakenly applied, drawing attributes.

Optimization for Performance, Cost, and Price Volatility

Oftentimes the magnet alloy is the most costly part of an assembly and optimizing the magnet volume used yields financial savings.  By optimizing a magnet design for an application using simulation software, Dura Magnetics can offer significant cost reductions.  Relative to common commercial materials such as steel, aluminum, and plastic resins, the volume of Magnet Alloy manufactured in the world is quite low.  Because of the low magnetic alloy production levels and small number of mines, refinery operations, and mills, price volatility is quite common.  Using an engineering oriented approach to design, Dura Magnetics can optimize the magnet for your application specific product, reducing your exposure to price volatility.

Special Requirements

• DFAR (Specialty Metals Clause 252.225.7009)
• Export Controlled Items
• Conflict Minerals – Section 1502 Dodd-Frank
• REACH – RoHS – RoHS 2

Quality Management System (QMS)

• AS9100D Certified
• Mil-Spec 45208A
• Coordinate Measurement Machines and Video Inspection System
• Magnetic testing equipment for measurements of Field Density and Field Strength
• Hysteresisgraph for magnetic characteristic measurement

Magnet and Magnetic Assembly Engineering and Product Development Specialists

Unlike some magnet design manufacturers that limit access to design and engineering staff, Dura understands that communicating with our engineering staff is the key to your project’s success.  Making our engineering staff an outsourced extension of your company’s development team is mission critical.  Our design and engineering team members remain engaged throughout the life of your project so as to ensure that a knowledgeable professional is always available to you to discuss your project.

If you are frustrated because potential vendors are not effectively communicating to you the nuances of a design or fabrication process, or if you have grown weary of hearing your application is too simple, too technically complex, then perhaps it is time to consider Dura.   We are  an engineering-oriented company that has the willingness and ability to understand industry, segment, language, and unique specifications.
Whether your project’s scope ranges from prototype development to production quantity runs, we welcome your magnet or magnetic assembly challenges and opportunity to provide you with best-in-industry solutions.  At your convenience, explore a list of industry-specific application narratives requiring magnetic solutions and send us a note or drawing of your project.  You can contact Dura by e-mail or call us at 1-800-492-7939.  We look forward to becoming your magnet solutions partner.